Congrats! You’ve made it to the end of the first-ever semester of ExtraCurricular by Cosmo. Pause for a quick recap: Team Cosmo created ExtraCurricular because 2020 has been, um, weird. Especially for students. We heard from you that the “college experience” right now is a hot mess of Wi-Fi failures and unflattering video chats. And the job market is tougher than ever, and even in *normal* times, Art History 101 doesn’t exactly help you get your foot in the door of your dream career.
Presented by Dell XPS, we created a new kind of college. Over the past few weeks, we rolled out a series of classes, tackling what you *actually* need to know at this exact moment we’re in (how to find the job, land it, not hate it, etc.). Created by your crew at Cosmo alongside Plan B One-Step, the sessions were taught by an exclusive team of just-for-you mentors—entrepreneurs, celebs, influencers, and editors. Oh, and did we mention these classes were free?! Yep. And you still have time to rewatch them all right this sec—and if you join Cosmo Unlocked, you can keep the vids forever. (Better than taking notes, TBH.)
Here’s a look at what went down this semester:
We kicked things off with Bea Arthur, a licensed mental health counselor, award-winning entrepreneur, and CEO of The Difference (which provides on-demand access to therapy as Amazon’s first mental health Alexa Skill), schooling us on burnout. She defined it as “when your spirit goes on strike,” which happens when we’re not protecting our energy (aka living that excess life and not doing what we need to feel good). Arthur broke down the ways burnout manifests—feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and/or depressed—and the most common (but not good-for-you) coping mechanisms we use, like withdrawal and numbing behaviors. With all that info, we’re able to recognize burnout when it shows up and use the tools that Arthur laid out for us to combat it (i.e., recognize, rest, restore, restructure, reset, and recover). If you missed it, sign up to watch it, and get ready to do an audit on your life and make the changes that you need to keep chill—even when you’re hustling 24/7. watch at extracurricular now
Next up was Maxie McCoy, host and executive producer of WomanOn (a new digital experience “that feels like talk show meets Sunday School—except not religious”) and author of You’re Not Lost: An Inspired Action Plan for Finding Your Own Way, taught us how to build a website as fancy as your résumé—no graphic design degree required, promise! No, really. Here’s the thing: Before McCoy got to the boss-level status she’s at now, she did it all herself for years, so she knows (1) that it can totally be done and (2) how to do it. Presented by Dell XPS, McCoy started with her “fancy five” questions everyone should ask themselves before they start building, including who is your target audience? What do you want them to take away? And what’s your vibe? It’s all about deciding where you want to go and curating your experiences and skills for the people who’ll get you there. McCoy also ran through a bunch of resources for site-building, tips for deciding on a domain, and where to start on design. watch at extracurricular now
During week two, we learned how to get over that whole impostor syndrome thing thanks to Lauren Chan, model and founder of Henning. Chan shared her top-secret trick to keeping her confidence level high: stepping away from social media as needed. Okay, not that top-secret, but it works. Sure, not being on social media isn’t an option for most of us, Chan included, but that doesn’t mean infinite scrolling is a good thing. So Chan sets a timer on her apps, unfollows and mutes accounts that make her feel unconfident or comparative, and uses platforms that allow her to schedule posts ahead of time to give herself the freedom of not having to actually be on to be on. Being a founder has taught her how to ask for help and the importance of being flexible to pivot and adapt—all essential elements to maintaining her I-can-totally-do-this vibe. And the most comforting lesson of all from the Tuesday talk? We’re supposed to feel this way. Impostor syndrome is a sign that we’re growing, excited, and committed, and anyone who doesn’t feel growing pains along the way? They’re lying. And that feeling doesn’t have to hold you back—it can be your fuel. watch at extracurricular now
Cosmo’s very own Carina Hsieh closed out the week with some real talk. Hsieh, sex and relationships editor at Cosmopolitan, schooled us on everything you didn’t learn in sex ed. Because this is pretty much where adulting starts, you know? It’s about knowing your body so well that you’re fully comfortable and confident in making the right choices for you. (Hint: That includes understanding the difference between “vagina” and “vulva.”) We picked up tips on what to do (100 percent cotton undies always) and what not to do (like douche or assume you can cure a UTI with OTC treatments bc you can’t). And finally, an answer to that age-old question: WTF is a menstrual cup?? Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as you think. Sort of like, well, everything else here. watch at extracurricular now
The third week of the semester started with Tosh Ernest—an executive director at JPMorgan Chase and the head of wealth for Advancing Black Pathways, where she provides a holistic view toward building wealth and managing money for the Black community—went over the most important money stuff you wish you already knew. Stuff like *pause for horror movie screams* budgeting! Relax—turns out, it’s not that scary (or hard, even). First thing you need to do, Ernest says, is calculate money you spend: Reeeeeally study that bank statement and assess what your unavoidable expenses are (e.g., rent, student loan bills, etc.) and everything else you spend that paycheck on. Self-assessment is sooo important because you legit might not realize you spend so much money on something until you look, and that knowledge will help you pinpoint habits you want to change. Another lesson from Ernest: Spend less than you have and never go over or up to, because if you don’t save, you won’t have funds stored for emergencies or fun, you-deserve-it $plurges like a vacay. Ernest also spilled some *write this down* fund-saving advice like enrolling in easy tech-based saving solutions, setting a cap on entertainment expenses, and using your money mistakes to do better moving forward. 🤑 = you rn. watch at extracurricular now
And we closed out the week with Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski and her Earn It coauthor Daniela Pierre-Bravo, who made us cry-laugh our way through their session on nailing that Zoom job interview. They kicked things off with a lil role-play of all the things you shouldn’t do if you actually want that job. (We’re talking Oscar-worthy performances, people!!)
Like, say, wearing the hoodie you slept in while sitting in front of your messy bed (is that a bra next to your cat?), screaming at your gamer boyfriend to STFU, calling your former boss a bitch, taking a call from your bestie Paige, answering questions without reeeeeally answering them…whew! That’s not even all of it. Of course, Brzezinski and Pierre-Bravo also went over what you should do. Their 🔥 tips include:
- Frame yourself! Sit in front of a background (and pick an outfit) that doesn’t distract from you. And two words: ring light.
- Show up to your screen 15 minutes early. Spend that time writing notes and getting your head in the game so you’re ready to go when your interviewer signs on. Bonus: You won’t be late!
- Practice not being on your phone so you can actually be unplugged and present during the call without thinking about all the texts and push notis you’re missing.
- Make eye contact by talking to the camera on your computer. Looking into that lil dot can help you stay chill if the person is making you nervous since your eyes are off your own screen.
- Oh, yeah, and be specific about why you want the job.
So good, right? watch at extracurricular now for even more. (Srsly!)
After a quick pause for Election Day, ExtraCurricular returned with a lil not-so-secret: The best jobs are never listed. They’re word of mouth, on the ground, one hundred percent hustle. And Lauren McGoodwin, founder and CEO of Career Contessa, aka the largest online career resource for women, and author of Power Moves: How Women Can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose, schooled everyone on how to get to ’em through networking. Formerly, McGoodwin was a talent recruiter at Hulu. Before that, she was networking her way *into* that job from an administrative assistant role. I mean!! McGoodwin broke down how she used LinkedIn to network when she was just starting out—pro tip: If you’re not sure where to start, look for people with job titles you hope to have one day—and how she took those connections from DMs (try to stick with LinkedIn, BTW! Twitter and Insta are social networks, not professional ones) to IRL coffees and convos. Want to network at work? McGoodwin has some step-by-step directions for how to do just that too. (From exactly how to reach out to how to impress them to knowing when to give up if they’re ghosting you.) There was even more too: like how to kill it in an interview, what your headshot on LinkedIn should look like, and what to do after you’ve applied for a job online (hint: you’re not done after you hit “submit”). This is the sort of real talk that’ll get you ahead, ppl! watch at extracurricular now
Kicking off week five, we learned all about leveling up that side hustle into a legit start-up from Jasmine Crowe. Crowe is the founder and CEO of Goodr, a tech solution that today helps feed thousands, supports restaurants’ resource management, and reduces waste, which she launched all on her own—in the early days, she was legit clipping coupons, cooking, and organizing to feed the homeless in her city all on her own—through pitch competitions, fundraising, team-building, and research. (So much research. Like, hours-of-watching-YouTube research. Crowe calls it “the School of YouTube.”) And in this session presented by Dell XPS, she shared exactly how she did it. Like practicing her pitch—hundreds of time. Seriously, it became a full-time job. (And she’d had a fear of public speaking!) Because those pitch competitions are about more than the prize money, Crowe says—it’s a chance to meet and connect with potential investors. And to nail the pitch, you’ve got to be an expert in your field. Be ready to answer literally any question that comes your way. That’s how you build authority and trust with future backers. Other stuff on your founder-in-progress to-do list: Take advantage of free resources (e.g., workshops, hackathons, and, yep, YouTube) and make yourself available to them. (Crowe also shared what not to do, like building a team too fast or taking on the limitations and negativity someone else is projecting onto you.) Next step: launching that start-up! watch at extracurricular now
We also gave our résumé a full-on makeover with help from Kathryn Minshew, CEO and cofounder of The Muse and coauthor of The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career. Minshew shared her insider insights into what sort of résumé actually gets you in the door. (Minshew has helped thousands of women build careers they care about and helped the world’s top companies find the right candidates, so this is sort of her thing!) Her five write-this-down tips:
- Use your résumé to get noticed.
- Highlight relevant keywords.
- Make your language pop!
- Turn your duties into wins.
- Incorporate skills, interests, and accomplishments to round yourself out on the page.
Minshew zoomed in on each of these with sooo many actionable pieces of advice. Like: Include as many facts/figures as you can, don’t include skills everyone is expected to know like Microsoft Word, and make a brag file to keep track of accomplishments so you know what to include in the résumé you’re tailoring for a specific job (oh, yeah, and tailor your résumé according to what the job is). See? Watch for more! watch at extracurricular now
Cosmo’s very own Sam Feher—Team Cosmo’s editorial assistant and the assistant to our editor-in-chief, Jessica Pels—led us into week six, spilling her secrets for creating web videos that go viral—you know, in a good way. (ICYMI: Outside her work at Cosmo, Feher is a content *queen.* Seriously, have you seen her TikToks? She’s also the founder and CEO of a small retail business called Brunch Club and a career coach for young women.) Feher broke down ev-er-y-thing for us: from the tech she uses and how she edits and stays organized to how she lands on a video title that makes it pretty much impossible not to click. Her advice before you even get started: Identify what your goals for the video are (make a point? build a following? make $$$? all of the above?)—that’ll help you figure out what footage you’ll need and how you’ll edit it. Oh, and always shoot more than you need. And when it comes to editing: Be ruthless! Cutting “the fluff” will get you a longer watch time, aka that sneakily important metric for success and monetization. BTW, do you have a marketing plan for that video? Feher can help with that. watch at extracurricular now
We closed out the week with *pause for drumroll sounds* Cosmo cover star (!) Emma Roberts and her BFF and Belletrist cofounder, Karah Priess. A few years ago, Roberts and Priess did the thing we all dream of doing with our crew: turning a shared passion into a legit business. The besties took their love of reading and talking about books and transformed it into a super-successful virtual book club and, now, super-successful movie and TV production company. During their session, Roberts and Priess walked us through exactly how they did it—from developing the idea (they asked themselves, What’s the thing that we would want to read?) to coming up with a name (sry, “Emma Roberts Book Club”) to figuring out exactly what the project should look like (it all started with the ’gram). The Belletrist founders also shared lessons they’ve learned along the way, like the moment when they had the “Are we in this 100 percent?” talk. Turns out, when you commit 100 percent, it makes work better (i.e., more focused, resulting in bigger results). Feeling inspired? Start with what you love—what you’re attracted to, creatively—before anything else. Oh, and (re)watch the class rn! watch at extracurricular now
And finally, we closed out the final (!) week of the semester *pause for single mascara tear* with Alencia Johnson, founder and chief impact officer of social impact agency 1063 West Broad, sponsored by Plan B One-Step. The subject? Oh, just casually one of the most important lessons you’ll ever learn: how to deal with rejection. Johnson is an alum of the President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren presidential campaigns as well as Planned Parenthood—and her super-successful career couldn’t have been possible without setbacks along the way. In this session, Johnson detailed the challenges (e.g., the rejections, the ghosting, you name it) she faced while searching for that dream job opportunity. But as she puts it, this is where preparation meets perseverance, and Johnson kept putting in the work (networking, applying, tons of self-reflection) until it paid off. One lesson she’s learned along the way: Rejection can be the confirmation you need that something isn’t for you. And bonus: Rejection can actually give you a new, clearer perspective on everything else you have going on in your life—give yourself permission to cry, but then get up and keep going. So yeah, rejection sucks. But it can also propel you toward success. Check out the session rn for more deets on how. watch at extracurricular now
P.S. If you’re the extra-credit type—I mean, who isn’t??—check out our two-week crash course on all things Team Cosmo. It’s called the Cosmo Shadowship (yeah, okay, we made up a word). Shadowees will spend one-on-one time with our crew to learn firsthand what it takes to, well, do what we do. Wanna learn more and get deets on how to apply? Click here
- October 13: How to avoid burnout when you’re hustling 24/7—deep breaths, bb. Taught by Bea Arthur, therapist, entrepreneur, and advocate for accessible mental health care.
- October 15: Build yourself a fancy website to match your fancy résumé (presented by Dell XPS)—we’ve seen your Instagram grids. You can do this. Taught by Maxie McCoy, host and executive producer of WomanOn.
- October 20: How to get over that whole imposter syndrome thing—confidence is something you learn. Like math but better. Taught by Lauren Chan, CEO and founder of Henning.
- October 22: Everything you didn’t learn in sex ed—because adulting kind of starts here? Taught by Carina Hsieh, sex and relationships editor at Cosmopolitan.
- October 27: All the stuff about money you wish you knew by now—like how to make it and save it. No MLM scheme required. Taught by Tosh Ernest, head of wealth/Advancing Black Pathways at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- October 29: How to survive a job interview (and all things office life) on Zoom—10 percent lighting, 40 percent unmuting your mic before speaking, 50 percent doing your homework. (Don’t worry, we won’t give you homework.) Taught by Mika Brzezinski + Daniela Pierre Bravo, MSNBC anchor and booking producer, coauthors of Earn It!: Know Your Value and Grow Your Career, in Your 20s and Beyond.
- November 5: The best jobs are never listed: How to network your way up—and how to make that “virtual coffee date” not painfully awkward in the process. Taught by Lauren McGoodwin, founder of Career Contessa.
- November 10: What you need to know to launch a start-up (presented by Dell XPS)—from nailing the pitch to avoiding the pitfalls. Taught by Jasmine Crowe, social entrepreneur, TED speaker, CEO of GoodrCo.
- November 12: How to be as good at your résumé as you are at your dating profile—and how to avoid all the mistakes that’ll get you that left-swipe from HR. Taught by Kathryn Minshew, founder of The Muse and author of The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career.
- November 17: How to edit the sort of videos that actually go viral on YouTube (presented by Dell XPS)—you know, the good kind of viral. Taught by Sam Feher, editorial assistant at Cosmopolitan and influencer.
- November 19: How to turn your passion into a legit business—because hobbies are more fun when they’re more than just “hobbies.” Taught by Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, founders of Belletrist.
- November 24: How to accept (and learn from!) rejection (sponsored by Plan B One-Step)—it’s not the end of the world…it’s your secret weapon. You got this, bb! Taught by Alencia Johnson, founder and chief impact officer at 1063 West Broad.
See you next semester!
